Hallo again! Thrilled to see you here and reading my fanfic... It's so much fun writing this and I hope you enjoy it. To all, I want to say that this chapter's not so exciting on the first part, but hey... action, humor and romance all have their special times in a story. All the information needed was explained in the intro of the previous chapter, so if you need to know it go read it again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I don't own Shizuka. I don't own the bishie Malik or anyone! (cries)

Come to think of it, you guys really probably wouldn't want to see what would happen if I owned Malik... XD... Okay Kumori, that was way too much information for the poor readers...

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Chapter One: Delayed Reunion

"--The loser must fork over their rarest card to the winner. To procced, you must win six locator cards. Those first ten who win six locator cards first can piece them together, which will produce a map to the location of the Battle City finals..." Amidst the announcer's nasal voice, Shizuka detected a knock on the door. Shizuka turned the volume down on the blaring TV

"Come in." she called softly. Shizuka heard the door open as the man in the TV announced, "Now, duelists, the Battle City Tournament... BEGINS!"

"Hey Shizuka-chan, what's up?" She could recognize the voice instantly even among the quieted yet unbelievably loud gales of cheering coming from the TV and the blackness envelping her sight. It belonged to one, Honda Hiroto, one of Shizuka's brother's close friends that visited her occasionally.

'He's here! It's finally time to go!' Shizuka felt herself shaking, she could barely contain her excitement.

"Honda-san!" Shizuka smiled widely. Honda almost seemed to be a magic charm-- wherever he was good luck was sure to follow suit. She heard him cough lightly, an embarrased sound.

"Please, call me Hiroto," he requested politely.

"Oh, okay Hiroto-kun." Shizuka felt Honda take her hand

Honda visited her quite often at the hospital. 'He was one of my only friends that realized what I was going though. Most of the fun of normal life was deprived of me. TV, computers, watching the sun rise... it was all gone. But, now, after months, I have another chance for all of that...'.

"It's time to go, now. To see your brother." Shizuka felt her heart lift impossibly high, as though some rabid eagle had snatched it out of her chest and went airborne with it (A/N: Weird analogy... .). She waited around in her bed while Honda put her things together, unable to help. Yet.

Katsuya Jonouchi was her brother. Though having a tough exterior, was a sap on the inside. Shizuka should know. He had needed to be tough a while ago, when he and Honda were gang members and had to fight to survive. It had been a dog-eat-dog world for her brother, having to fight and put up with their alcoholic father.

Shizuka couldn't wait to see Katsuya again. And this time, truly see. Somehow, Katsuya had found the money for Shizuka's eye operation. He had yet to tell her how.

Thinking of all this just made her spirits higher and higher, until finally she couldn't contain it any longer; all her joy burst out of her and she hugged Honda impulsively. She felt Honda stiffen and quickly let go with a blush of embarrassment.

"It's really cool that they let you out of the hospital early," Honda continued. "You should see Jonouchi. He's going crazy about it."

"Hond- err, Hiroto?"

"Yeah?"

"How did Katsuya get all that money? You know, for my operation?"

"Well, in Duelist Kingdom, both Jonouchi and Yugi had to go up against each other in the semifinal round. That match was the match deciding who would go up against Pegasus, and who would get the prize money. Yugi was the victor, but he gave the money to your brother for your operation."

"For me?"

"Yep. Yugi's always been a sucker for that kind of thing. He-- 3.05 already?! Uh-oh, Shizuka-chan, the train's leaving in fifteen minutes. We'd better go." Honda helped her up and put an arm around her waist before helping her quickly out of the door. Shizuka blushed.

'It's times like this that I wish I could see...'

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Twenty minutes later Honda and Shizuka were on the train to Domino City. Shizuka couldn't have been happier and nothing could make her feel worse.She was out of the hospital, she was with a really great friend, tonight she would be able to take her bandages off, and best of all, she was going to go see Katsuya! She was on cloud nine and nibbled my piece of bread happily until she noticed something else amidst all that happiness nagging at her...

"I have tons of food, Shizuka, help yourself!" She felt him push a box into her hands. "I can't eat all this food by myself-- oh, wait, I take that back." She smiled meekly, but didn't laugh. She couldn't.

"Sfizewkih, whafts eetin you?" Honda queried with a mouth stuffed full of fried rice. It almost made her giggle. Almost.

"The truth is, I'm kind of scared. Of taking my bandages off, you know. I'm kind of afraid that after everything everyone's done for me, I still will be blind..." Honda swallowed the large bite of breakfast burrito before replying.

"Of course you'll be able to see, Shizuka. You don't need to worry. The test proved you were healed... I promise you that you'll be able to see."

Hiroto was so kind...

"Thanks, Hiroto. You're an awesome friend."

Shizuka spent most of the ride listening to the 'ccak, ccak, ccak, ccak' of the train against the track. The steady clacks were soothing and almost had Shizuka asleep when the rhythm changed. The clacks were getting slower. She grinned, that same happiness she felt earlier engulfing her again.

"We're there!"

""But that's not possible..." she heard the crackle of paper, which must have been Honda checking the schedule. "We still have twenty minutes until our destination." He sounded a little concerned... worried, even.

"But then why are we slowing down? --oh, we're probably picking up more people." Shizuka laughed away her silliness.

"It says on the ticket that it's going straight to Domino without any stops in-between."

"But..."

'Uh oh...' She felt cold nervousness wash over her. "Hiroto, I'm scared."

"Uh... There's no need! Th-they probably just got the time wrong, yeah! Don't flip over it. It's totally fine. I promise!" The response was a bit hurried...

Gradually the train slowed more.

"Do you see the station out the window?" Shizuka inquired.

"Uh... I'll be right back. You stay right here." She heard Honda open the compartment door. As soon as he did so, Shizuka detected lots of voices inquiring the same thing she had. She waited, her delicate heart beating fast.

The train lurched abruptly, sending Shizuka reeling backwards. As it happened, Shizuka heard the opening of a few compartments and the noise in the train increase.

"Freeze or I shoot!" Shizuka froze as the noise ceased instantly. Rapid footsteps passed her compartment.

'Where is Honda?? Is he ok??' She panicked as she heard compartment door after compartment door open, as though these people were searching for something.

Shizuka was blind, but it gave her some advantages as well as drawbacks: her hearing had improved drastically, so she could hear some of the conversation going on between the hijackers.

"Keep looking, if you don't find her you're in deep shit."

"Shut up! I'm gonna get promoted if it's the last freakin' thing I do."

'WHERE'S HONDA???' she thought as she curled up against the train compartment wall. The voices were at her compartment door now. She heard one of the people speak;

"Move, or else."

"Move or else what? Listen, I'm not letting you in there." It was Honda's voice!

BAM!

Shizuka heard a sickening crack and Honda grunt as the compartment door slid open.

"Honda! Honda are you ok???" she cried wildly as two men seized her arms.

"Hey, I think she's da one da boss was lookin' fo."

"Yeah, your right... the bandages give it all away." She struggled, but their grip was firm.

"Let me go! HONDA! Honda, are you ok??" her only reply was an evil little chuckle from one of her captors.

"You'd probably do best as to not struggle. The more you cooperate the less pain there'll be on your part," the first voice warned her. Panic rapidly engulfed her mind as she struggled desperately. 'What do they want with me?

"So, 'Mista Bein' de Hero' dere is ya boyfriend? Well, he's not bein' de hero no more, little girl."

"I told you to let me go!!" her teeth connected with the Goon's hand-- hard. He released his grip with a howl of pain. "Why yew little b----" Guy 1 screamed as his comrade slammed her against the wall, a very pain-inflicting procedure.

"No funny business, little girl..." the man told her in a low, warning voice, so close she could smell his breath. "You-..." but before he could continue Shizuka heard another crack and abruptly the guy was off her.

"Don't touch Shizuka," Honda's voice admonished, "Or you'll have to deal with me."

"Hiroto!" she cried as he grabbed her hand.

"C'mon," he said briskly as he pulled her into a run. "Faster, Shizuka-chan, come on!" The two sprinted out of the train at the fastest pace they could go.

Were they safe?

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Haha, cliffie! Yeah, this chapter wasn't very exciting... but the next chapter will be great! It was a lot of fun to write. Anyhoo, I'm proud to an extremity that I got this version done and I got everything edited well... If you spot problems please point them out in your reviews. I would be very happy if you'd please read, relish and review... thankachu for reading, thank you very much!